Ski



A. G. HEM

Jan. 8, 1952 SKI Filed Aug. 23, 1946 ARNE G. HEM,

INVENTOR.

A TTORNE YS Patented Jan. 8, 1952 SKI Arne G. Hem, Hot Sulphur Springs, Colo.

Application August 23, 1946, Serial No. 692,522

1 Claim.

This invention relates to skis.

An object of the invention is to provide a plastic ski having great strength and flexibility.

Another object of the invention is to provide a 4ski which is formed of a flexible material and having a major reinforcement member for additional strength, without sacrificing exibility or adding any substantial degree of weight.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reinforced steel and plastic ski which is inexpensive to construct, simple in design, and highly effective in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and in which,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a ski according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the ski shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the steel reinforcing member set into the ski shown in Figures 1 and 2, and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional elevation of the ski taken on line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Reference is now had to the drawings in which like reference characters denote similar parts throughout the several views. As shown, there is a ski having a major body portion 2 formed of nexible plastic material which is moulded in the form and shape of a ski, which shape will of course depend upon whether the ski is to be a slalom ski, jumping ski, or racing ski.

The forward end 4 of the ski body 2 is tapered as shown, and is bent upward in the usual manner to avoid engaging obstacles, and for other purposes. The rearward end 5 of the ski body is also bent upwardly, although it is not tapered along its side edges as is the forward end 4. The central portion 8 of the ski body is thickened so as to form a strong central platform I for the support of the shoe of the user, and the thickness of the ski body tapers from the forward and rearward ends l2 and I4, respectively, of the central platform toward the forward and rearward body ends 4 and 5 respectively.

The ski body 2 is upwardly bowed between the forward and rearward points i6 and I8. A central longitudinal groove 20, which is best shown in Figure 4, is formed in the under side 22 of the ski body.

A spring steel reinforcing strip 24 is moulded or cast into the ski body when the latter is formed, and is almost as long, so that its ends 26 and 28 extend almost as far as the forward and rearward ends 4 and 5 of the ski body. The reinforcing member 24, shown by itself in Figure 3, has its forward end 26 tapered somewhat in the manner of the forward end 4 of the ski body, and its rearward end 28 is similar in shape to that of the rearward end of the ski body. However, it will be observed from Figures 2, 3, and 4,

2 that the reinforcing member 24 is narrower than the body 2 and has its side edges 39 to 32 equally spaced from the sides of the ski body itself.

The reinforcing strip 24, as best shown in Figure 1, has substantially the same longitudinal curvature as the ski body within which it is disposed, and flexes with the ski body as it is used. Longitudinal rows of hoies 34 are formed through the reinforcing member along its entire length as shown in Figures 3 and 4, to allow the plastic material to flow into the holes 34 and thereby firmly hold the ski body and reinforcing member together. A rectangular opening 36 is also formed in the reinforcing strip 24 beneath the platform IU to allow passage of binding screws.

The ski body is also provided with steel reinforcing corner edges as at 38 and 40 in Figure 4, held in place by suitable anchoring structures 42 which are embedded in the plastic ski body.

It will be apparent that the steel spring reinforcing lmember 24 helps to add some weight to the ski and also serves as a shock absorber. In addition, the steel spring 24 will keep the ski from changing its form. The use of plastic material for the ski body will make it necessary to use little or no wax for lessening friction, thus doing away with one of the complications involved in skiing.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in size, shape, material or arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

A ski comprising an elongated body formed of moldable Vplastic material, a comparatively thin strip fabricated of metal positioned longitudinally of and within said body and completely surrounded by and integrally bound in said body, said strip being provided with a plurality of spaced holes extending therethrough, and opposed angle members fixedly embracing the under face and adjacent side edges of said body.

ARNE G. HEM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,371,608 Drevitson Mar. 15, 1921 1,456,599 Jensen May 29, 1923 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 135,721 Austria Dec. 1l, 1933 138,043 Austria June 25, 1934 523,742 Germany Apr. 27, 1931 645,796 Germany June 4, 1937 733,250 France July 4, 1932 

